Time trials used to be all about the clock. Now it’s about the water they’re drinking at Westwood Velo .

In the last year (2008) the Club TT was held at Floyd Bennett Field, Will O’Donnell from WV graced the course and beat CRCA’s best, guys like Harris and Quintero, like unwitting farm animals, with a 95 second margin.

We left all Westwood Velo addresses off the mailing list in 2009, and it worked. Lisban Quintero (CRCA/Foundation) won the inaugural 10 mile Bear Mountain Seven Lakes TT. We’ve done the same this year, but have been outsmarted.

Paul Levis, formerly of Westwood Velo and Target Training, slipped through the toll booth on the Triboro without notice from the border guards, and took up residence in New York. Having breached the border, it was a small step to don a Blue Ribbon jersey, and an even smaller step to win the Second Annual event in a blistering time of 22 flat (27.3 mph).

One gold medal is typically not enough, so Levis recruited the 40+ Champion, 4th place Overall finisher and Blue Ribbon teammate, Jesus Espita, sandwiched a couple of Axis riders (Gustaffson and Orcutt) in between them, and proceeded to best last year’s 4 man TTT by 16 seconds, winning with a course record of 20:43 (29.0 mph).

One of the beautiful things about life, and cycling, is the lack of complete surprises. Levis was born during the Reagan administration, ran D-1 track at Villanova in the right events, the 800 meters and mile (4:12), and weighs more than Alejandro, but not much.

For those who have ridden the course, you know that getting up to Tiorati Circle lickety-split only happens if you’ve laid-off the cheeseburgers. It’s a serious course, and requires concerted efforts in the smaller chain ring going out, and long stretches of hammerfest in your bigger gear coming back. More a course for an all-rounder than a pure climber or a jackhammer.
While these things are never clear, it is feeling like this may be our home course for awhile. Not a lot of alternative use by cars, skaters, i-podded joggers or paving crews; and the old-timers in the Club seem to like it.

Witness Scot Willingham (Houlihan Lokey) winning the 50+, and placing third Overall, 28 seconds back on Levis. Or Ann Marie (also Houlihan Lokey). 87 riders competed in this year’s event, and she finished 26th Overall. That’s against the guys! Won the Women’s category going away, by 80 seconds.

Flashy medals were presented to the winners, as opposed to $15 hard cash. Megan Newcomer has one (25:18) in the Women’s Cat 4. David Anthony (NY Velocity) captured 12th Overall and gold in Men’s Cat 4 (23:26). Sascha Kreideweis (Ineman racing) made CAT 5’s proud, beating all but 5 riders in the whole race, with the improbable CAT 5 time of 22:41. Real men and women ride cannibal-style, of course. Andrew Clerico (NY Velocity) posted a 24:14, and female teammate Laura Lee Vo looks good in gold with a 26:32.

David Wagener